My head is full of running trivia and stuff like that. I have to run a 100m distance 462 times. The current major point of excitement is that the husband occasionally says he will run a half marathon. I think he is serious. But I also know that the title 'Anti Runner' rests pretty easy on him. So I don't know. I would love to run with him. We have done our share of difficult mountain hikes/treks, basketball games, and workout sessions together so I know it could be fun. He is quite competitive compared to me so there might be some benefit to me - such as pushing me harder. But the last time I took him out on a run, a meagre, unsatisfactory 5 k in the stadium, he did not bring up running again for six months. So, I don't know. I am excited but it might all come to naught anyhow.
I ran in the stadium yesterday. I am not feeling 100% as yet. There is the cold and occasional cough. The mind was playing tricks big time. My age comes up a lot. The fact that there is a sudden profusion of white hair comes up too. Now everyone knows that I love white hair. I wouldn't mind having a full head of white hair, soon-ish. I celebrated the day I found the first one (several years ago, documented elsewhere on this blog). I have a lot of hair now - my problems with that excessive hair fall are not there any more, and I have not cut the length in a while so its pretty long and well, big, thats the only word for it. The sister of big foot, big hair, I call myself sometimes. Nevertheless, the fact that in the past week or two I seem to have sprouted a disproportionately large number of them comes up when I am running in a not-strong manner. The vague pain in the heel area makes its appearance often. The fact of the matter is that my right foot is off. I am used to that. I have run with a fairly bad right ankle, played basketball, run relays, participated in the long jump, etc. over the course of my patchy athletic career. No biggie. But it comes up in the mind. But I persist. I put my head down. I roll up my sleeves and square my shoulders. I ignore the world, and go on. I hope my runner friends will appreciate it when I say that its not about a lack of pain. Its about managing the pain and continuing to move the feet.
When I return home, I feel pretty good. So I guess its mostly mind games. I had a full crazy day of work (up until 9 30pm), but I was fine. I am missing a couple of things I am supposed to be doing. Icing the painful foot, for one. Putting my feet up, for another. A more strengthening diet. I am not good at eating. I know I am going to regret that. Perhaps that should be my stretch goal for 2012. To eat well. Do you live to eat or eat to live? Dad used to ask us that. He claimed he lived to eat. Well, that was too bad for him because the last two decades of his life was spent with more items on his 'cannot eat' list than on his 'can eat' one. He tried to blame mum once in a while, saying the doctor said 'less salt' not 'salt-less' like your mother makes it. But he was kidding. He didn't care much for the salty foods. He was all about sweet stuff. He could eat Sajjige (no, its not Rava Kesari. Somehow, Tamil food can never measure up to Kannada food. So sue me) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And that awful thing called Sajjappa. All fried dough and jaggery stuffing. Ugh. His love of GasaGase Payasa is the stuff of family legend. Its made of poppy seeds and can send you into deep slumber, instanter. Yeah, I don't care much for any of it. I will eat it. But just because...
I really need to figure out a couple of things from now on to January:
1. Time to rest my feet. Feels like the right foot is going to need a lot more TLC than it currently gets. And the calves will benefit from a daily stretching routine as well.
2. Healthy nutrition within the confines of my life-style - the details are not important. Suffice to say that I don't need recipes. Neither my cook nor I have the time to make anything more than we already do. Just have to get creative, and disciplined.
Baby steps. I resolve not to be influenced by what others are eating. I will stick to my comfortable mantras of veggies, rice, curd. I impose a one drink a night (when I drink) on myself. Eat an egg everyday. Bananas. And every evening a foot soak. Yeah. That should cover it for now...
I ran in the stadium yesterday. I am not feeling 100% as yet. There is the cold and occasional cough. The mind was playing tricks big time. My age comes up a lot. The fact that there is a sudden profusion of white hair comes up too. Now everyone knows that I love white hair. I wouldn't mind having a full head of white hair, soon-ish. I celebrated the day I found the first one (several years ago, documented elsewhere on this blog). I have a lot of hair now - my problems with that excessive hair fall are not there any more, and I have not cut the length in a while so its pretty long and well, big, thats the only word for it. The sister of big foot, big hair, I call myself sometimes. Nevertheless, the fact that in the past week or two I seem to have sprouted a disproportionately large number of them comes up when I am running in a not-strong manner. The vague pain in the heel area makes its appearance often. The fact of the matter is that my right foot is off. I am used to that. I have run with a fairly bad right ankle, played basketball, run relays, participated in the long jump, etc. over the course of my patchy athletic career. No biggie. But it comes up in the mind. But I persist. I put my head down. I roll up my sleeves and square my shoulders. I ignore the world, and go on. I hope my runner friends will appreciate it when I say that its not about a lack of pain. Its about managing the pain and continuing to move the feet.
When I return home, I feel pretty good. So I guess its mostly mind games. I had a full crazy day of work (up until 9 30pm), but I was fine. I am missing a couple of things I am supposed to be doing. Icing the painful foot, for one. Putting my feet up, for another. A more strengthening diet. I am not good at eating. I know I am going to regret that. Perhaps that should be my stretch goal for 2012. To eat well. Do you live to eat or eat to live? Dad used to ask us that. He claimed he lived to eat. Well, that was too bad for him because the last two decades of his life was spent with more items on his 'cannot eat' list than on his 'can eat' one. He tried to blame mum once in a while, saying the doctor said 'less salt' not 'salt-less' like your mother makes it. But he was kidding. He didn't care much for the salty foods. He was all about sweet stuff. He could eat Sajjige (no, its not Rava Kesari. Somehow, Tamil food can never measure up to Kannada food. So sue me) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And that awful thing called Sajjappa. All fried dough and jaggery stuffing. Ugh. His love of GasaGase Payasa is the stuff of family legend. Its made of poppy seeds and can send you into deep slumber, instanter. Yeah, I don't care much for any of it. I will eat it. But just because...
I really need to figure out a couple of things from now on to January:
1. Time to rest my feet. Feels like the right foot is going to need a lot more TLC than it currently gets. And the calves will benefit from a daily stretching routine as well.
2. Healthy nutrition within the confines of my life-style - the details are not important. Suffice to say that I don't need recipes. Neither my cook nor I have the time to make anything more than we already do. Just have to get creative, and disciplined.
Baby steps. I resolve not to be influenced by what others are eating. I will stick to my comfortable mantras of veggies, rice, curd. I impose a one drink a night (when I drink) on myself. Eat an egg everyday. Bananas. And every evening a foot soak. Yeah. That should cover it for now...
6 comments:
have bought this book called runners handbook. has some specific fundaes about carboloading. will sent you the gist. resting is key. my right foot gets sore, so have cut down the mid-wk runs. i thinking it is helping. no point in running if not fully recovered.
yeah. just sleeping in today has helped the foot so far. the problem of rest is that its not just about not running. you have to genuinely calm down and be zen about stuff. thats tough with everything else that happens through the day :-( anyway sent me the food fundas. will try to follow. for once i am going to listen to you srgntpepper... so when i see you the start line at SCMM i can be all non-guilty.
kenniness, pardon the complete lack of fundae in these matters - but if it hurts, it should be rested no?
take care babe. as i have discovered rather painfully things are taking slaaaightly longer to get to normal in this decade that the last. like a smashed thumb remained painful for weeks, much to my surprise.
and i love the sound of gasagase paayasa :)
Um.. heel pain == excessive use of Vibrams.
At least, thats what i faced.
I avoid using VFFs on anything more than 3 miles nowadays.
chox- dont worry, its all good.
Saad Bhamla - yeah I am testing that theory out. I don't use vibrams much anyhow, definitely not for anythng more than 5mi.
Take it easy for a bit, Kenny.
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